Eastern Promise

This man is a kind of a wizard really. The happy, smiling kind!
When Hino Sensei was young he wanted to find the masters that he had read about. The masters that could do amazing feats and have a control over many things. He found that they didn’t exist, he couldn’t find them, yet there were still books and books about them. So this was his starting place to see what he could become….

Hino Sensei is 57. He is a small man of small build and commands enormous respect from his students. His very nice wife is his assistant and also an accomplished martial artist in her own capacity. The way he approaches his class is always with good humour and a beaming smile. This seems to me to be a real martial art. It is peaceful and contains no fighting. It is a peaceful approach that holds no force or fear. It is not far removed as some forms of Tai chi are, for example, that have developed into a form of exercise for health. This is still martial, working with a partner in a combat situation, but Hino Sensei’s emphasis is connection and communication. It is a sight indeed to watch him bring his largest students softly to the groud with the lightest of touches.

This is an art that would take years to master as it involves discipline, softness and honesty. I am looking forward to the next set of classes.

A Gaijin is short for Gaikakojin and is the Japanese word for foreigner. It also sort of means outsider, and I know exactly how this feels. Yesterday Minami’s mum took us both to lunch. The restaurant was a rather posh establishment. As I walked through the place, I was fascinated by all the little private dining rooms, and as I passed one I peered through the open sliding-door to see what I could see and walked straight into a flower wall-hanging, knocking all the berries off the plant onto the floor… I was very embarassed, but of course there was no look of blame and the whole ordeal was treated with the upmost politeness. I sometimes feel clumsy here, a bit scruffy and out of place. I think it’s natural though when you step into a different world where placement is so important and attention to detail is paramount, a culture that was all but isolated for 400-odd years, where it developed such complexities and intricacies that are still a mystery to all those that are not Japanese.

I have now been in Tokyo for just over 3 weeks now. I have been staying in a youth hostel just outside of Tokyo for half the time and the other half I have been staying at Minami’s sister, Saya’s house.

It has been really great to see Minami again and to catch up with her family and friends. We have been quite busy over the past 3 weeks and here are some photos of what’s been occurring…

First thing’s first, the hair had to go. I did it while I was in China and because I never could get hold of two mirrors, I had no idea what it looked like… But seeing the just before photo, I quite like it actually… nevermind…

It was Minami’s friend Sachi’s birthday so we made a Mexican feast.

I have been distributing gifts from China along the way… Some well received, others not so successful. Pei-jen – I need your help with this one. I bought these berries from the doctor in the school back in Zhengzhou. I was in there buying some massage oil and noticed this box on the shelf. When I asked what they were, he opened a box and gave one to me and Norbert to try. I thought they were quite nice, but I still have no idea what they were. They didn’t go down too well at Minami’s cousin’s house though… Dom (Saya’s husband… yes they have just got married! Congratulations!) being another tough Englishman was happy to try one, but all the Japanese were too scared. We were able to ascertain that you should’t have more than 3 at a time, but that’s about it… Pei-jen, what do you make of them? Are they a miracle constipation cure or just some Chi rejuvenation magic berry? Let me know asap, before I offer them around again…

The Tamagawa family have had a new addition to the family… oh, I mean two. Dom and this ittle chappie here aptly named – Laban… original name, if a little geeky, who is already a good friend with their older dog, Duke, a big white hair-ball of a Russian Samoyed.

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Buna-ga-take
This hike was an all-dayer. Buna-ga-take is listed among Japan’s Top　200 mountains… which is nice. I took and hour’s bus ride from Kyoto to somewhere in the sticks called Bomura, a sort of hamlet at the foot of the mountains.

The first climb, that is, when I eventually found the starting point, was hell. It was about an hour and a half of a hellish gradient and I strongly questioned the guide’s ‘medium’ difficulty rating!

There was a Japanese-woman climber in front, that I tried to pace myself on. She must have been over fifty, and set and incredible pace. She had all the mod-cons as well, including a bear-bell, which put me mildly off-ease. Thankfully, sitings are rare, although that would have been a story and a half!

After the intitial slog, things started to ease off and I started to enjoy myself. The big surprise was that there was still snow about. It was a sight and. sad as it sounds, enjoyed making snowballs in the end of April! Again, it was such a clear day and I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of Biwa-ko, Japan’s largest lake. I hope you can make it out from the photo. Did you know that if all the people of the world were to gather in one place they could all stand on this lake… if it was frozen that is. Same goes for the Isle of Wight too. Imagine – I thought there were more of us than that!

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So from Koya-san, passing back through Osaka and on to Kyoto.

Great to be back here. It seems nothing has changed, including the prices! Thank goodness for that. Budget being what it is, inflation is something I don’t want to contend with!

I made the long trek to the hostel of any traveller’s dreams… well not quite but a lot more interesting and comical than a lot of other places. I stayed here last time I was in Kyoto and couldn’t risist the opportunity of visiting again! The establishmeny is run by none other than Mr. Uno, who is a sight to be seen. I don’t think he has changed a bit since last I saw him: white string vest, suit trousers with Calvin Klein-esque briefs pulled above belt line to which the vest is firmly tucked into, an old pair of house shoes and the unmistakable head of unruly, jet-black-dyed carpet of side-parted hair. Fantastic.

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Koya-san is a raised mountain plateau in the north Wakayama prefecture about 2 hours away from Osaka. It is the home to the monastic complex and headquarters of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism. You can really get a glimpse here of what Japanese religious life would be like and although I didn’t, it is possible to stay in various different temples and join the monks for morning meditation and veggie repas.

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I am a bit late for the prime cherry blossom viewing season, but there are still a few about. The weather was warmer today – a nice spring day for the Bugaku festival that I went to this afternoon.

I don’t really know what Bugaku is, although it seems to be a ceremonial dance. I overheard one gentleman explaining to another Gaijin (Japanese word for foreigner) that the costumes are Korean in origin but that’s going back some.

There were masked solos and group dances, monks and priests on procession and dragons too. The pace was pretty slow but so much to look at making it enjoyable to watch. The accompanying music made it quite haunting. The stage it was all performed on was a bridge over a piece of water that contained hundreds of terrapins who surfaced to join the crowd and observe the ongoings. The performance was set in the Shitenno-ji Temple complex. There was also a flea market going on all around selling everything from carving knives to wooden shoes, sqid balls to kimonos and everything in between.

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Went to this outside museum today of Farmhouses that have been taken from different sites all over Japan and rebuilt in one place, Osaka’s Ryokuchi-koen park. The park is great. Such a large area filled with everthing from baseball, basket ball and soccer pitches to an outside swimming complex for the summer months.

The museum was lovely to walk around even though it was raining a little. The are all thatched houses, all with harths and strangely none with chimneys – must ave been smokey back then I thought. There wasn’t much in theway of English explanations but they labelled what was what: kitchen, bedroom, drawing room, stable, lav. They also had traditional gardens set out between the houses. Very pleasant indeed.

There were a few huge groups of school kids, all with their coloured caps on so as not to get lost. Reminded me of my school outings… the one day it always rains!

Here are a few photos.

On the night before I left Shanghai I went to the Bund, towards the east of Shanghai on the riverfront. On the other side is Pudong where Shanghai used to grow all its veg. Now though, the greens are grown elsewhere and room has been made for a special zone… The bright lights came to Shanghai!!…

Got the bus to the ferry port the next day with my copious luggage that I have sworn I will shed as soon as I get to Tokyo. Naturally got off the bus too early and walked for ages to get there by which time I was a rather Sweaty Betty indeed!… wet through.

Shanghai’s estuary was like an artery. It was loaded with freight ships. Lines and lines of them for 40 minutes never-ending supplies to feed and build the city. Really incredible. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is my last day in the Shanghai after spending about 5 or days here. I leave for Japan tomorrow! Banzai!

Shanghai is a big-time party, eating and drinking city. Speaking of eating, I just came back from lunch in a little restaurant round the corner. I ducked into the little eatery and had a nice plate of fried egg and greens with rice meanwhile sitting next to a baby white rabbit. I assumed it was a pet although you can never be quite sure here! In the corner was a stack of glass tanks. The top two with live shrimp in, plus someone’s bottle of soya milk keeping nice and chilled. Next a mixture of cat fish and carp-type fish which were quite lively and kept trying to escape… on one occasion one jumped clean out and flapped around on the floor until the waitress managed to get a hold of it and throw it back. The bottom tank was full of live bullfrogs. Fried or grilled, I think the menu said. Read the rest of this entry »